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Could Used Car Also Mean Used Airbags?

A crash in Nevada including a young woman nearly losing her life is shining light on an issue the government can’t seem to get a handle on. There is no one removing and replacing airbags in used cars that have been in accidents.

During a minor car accident on March 3rd, Karina Dorado was struck in the trachea with shrapnel after her airbag went off. Karina took an ambulance to the hospital where she had surgery on her vocal cords. She is currently being treated for the injuries sustained to her neck.

Dorado, whose only 18, is only one of many people killed or severely injured by inflators. Inflators can go off when the chemical propellant inside the airbag dissipates.

However, what makes Karina’s story different is the question of how this particular inflator ended up in her 2002 Honda Accord.

Karina’s father, Jose, purchased the car last March for his daughter to have a way to and from work. According to reports, the family had no knowledge of the vehicle history. They especially did not know that the car was in a previous accident in Phoenix, said to be 100% inoperable.

On AutoCheck, it said that the car was salvaged and resold last spring in Las Vegas.

While inspecting Dorado’s car, engineers found that the inflator in the car blew to pieces. While looking up the serial number, they found that the airbag previously belonged to a 2001 Accord that was never replaced. However, it also had a recall on it.

Chris Martin, a spokesman for Honda, said that the airbag from the 2001 accord was taken out of a salvage. Or there’s a possibility that it was stolen. Either way, it wound up at the shop that revitalized the car that was sold to the Dorados.